TECHNOPERA @ OPERA EUROPA

As it is high time to update some news on TECHNOPERA, my presence at the latest OPERA EUROPA conference in Rotterdam seems a good occassion. I have presented my vision on the opera genre today, introduced my work connecting opera and techno and joined a pleasant exchange with other opera professionals devoted to innovative opera performance.

One can read a summary and a few quotes from the event @ www.opera-europa.org

Although I am very rarely satisfied with any of the result of such meetings, I always enjoy to be part of it. In rather withdrawn and sometime lonesome life of a composer such days are a welcome distraction from the real work and have the potential for valuable reflection within reality of the thoughts that occupy me daily.

And what occupies me these days is the experience of sound transforming into something else, something that is rather felt than heard. If sound becomes movement, our senses blur, we experience changing energies that surpass the limitations of the seperate senses. Movement of sound turns music into theatre, this experience of space is for me the essence of drama. My vision on opera is about space and our position in it as humans. 4D SOUND can be an orchestra, stage and decor of a future opera practice. 

So, right after the conference some exciting events are planned embedded in these musical developments . The initial sound recordings of two new scenes for TECHNOPERA are taking place with two singers that are very dear to me - Kevin Walton and Maribeth Diggle. Those recordings will be available online in the summer, so stay updated to follow the releases. 

The rest of the summer will be devoted to test new speaker designs and develop the user versions of our invention 4D SOUND, which is the first live electronic instrument to manipulate spatial listening. After this phase of optimalizing during the summer there will be the occassion to visit our sound environment and have a listen yourself. If you have any intention to experience these musical dimensions for prefessional reasons I am open for requested invitations to our studio.

 I will post regular news on these future developments, and make sure to follow new updates @ www.4d-opera.com 

E@RPORT (5)

As a next E@RPORT chapter, I am glad to present the exciting encounter between Mark van Tongeren and Debby Korfmacher.

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#95

These two vocalists both rely on strong relation to musical traditions as well on an attitude of free experimentation and exploration. Debby Korfmacher has internalized with great devotion the traditional Zimbabwian song culture, but translates any kind of music she likes with great charm to her small and intimate musical setting. While Mark van Tongeren has based his remarkable vocal techniques largely on the Turko-Mongolian overtone singing, he extends the range of vocal sounds with the not so traditional Chaos Pad, creating ambiguous vocal poems in between thousand years old vocal traditions and modern day electronics. 

Around this theme of moving in and out existing musical frames, I created a process of musical deconstruction and recreation. Starting from the cyclic repetitions of the traditional Zimbabwian song 'Mauya' the musicians cut, loop and sequence different fragments of the song up to the smallest snippet, until the original musical frame is transformed into another musical dimension that reminds somewhat of  'sample art'. The music is balancing on a thin border between the natural flow of songs and the mechanic flow of loops and sequences.

When I think of this encounter I always have the image in front of me how the two vocalists with their small instrument boxes in front of them try to squeeze, twist and pluck each others voices into something beyond... You can get a nice impression of the live performance on video.

Watch @ www.youtube.com/watch?v=bupikfYVha4

I also created a completly different adaptation of the same Zimbabwian song 'Mauya', where the original melody is streched 'as slow as possible' and explored as an harmonic atmosphere.

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#78

E@RPORT (4)

My latest E@RPORT release features two legendary ensembles in an encounter on the crossroad between groovy black soul and heartwarming gypsy melancholy... Nello Mirando & Gianni Lincan Ensemble meets Fra Fra Sound.

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#86

Nello Mirando is an old acquaintance of my family. When I was a young boy he was a regular guest in our home where he would teach my mother Roma and Hungarian violin repertoire. The presence of Nello Mirando brings me back to the sounds of my childhood. Therefore, it is a special honour for me to be able to work today with this legendary violinist, who is by now more than fifty years on stage with the orchestra of his father Tata Mirando and his own diverse groups of followers.

The idea for this encounter developed from a conversations with Vincent Henar, another stronghold in the world of music, celebrating this year the 30th birthsday of his groundbreaking grooveband Fra Fra Sound. The musical work Fra Fra Sound has created, bringing together a manyfold of African, Latin- American and Jazz-related cultures all over the world in the concept of their band, is impressive. Upon my question what sort of encounter Vincent would imagine to challenge his group with a new perspective he uttered the wish to once work with gypsy musicians from Eastern Europe. So, I felt almost obliged to make this encounter happen.

I composed a piece based on a famous melody of Nello Mirando, entitled 'Depen'. I found this melody would work wonderful with a steady groove bassline that I stripped from the rather easy going and slightly melancholic Fra Fra tune 'Reminiscence of Bamako' . I worked on a harmonic design that would unite the melody and the bass, and would as well reminisce the different harmonic colours that characterize jazz and gypsy tonalities. The result is a very natural sounding, but highly original mood in the music - some different kind of blues . 

For the performance of the encounter we eventually chose to exhibit the two completely different ways of playing of the same composition next to each other. Therefore one hears the same piece twice, in two different orchestrations and in different rhythmic colours. It seemed to be the most honest and pure form for the encounter to keep a respectful distance between the two groups, rather making them listen to each others refined and highly developed performance then forcefully blending them. By this distinct seperation, the listener gets to know a lot about the diverse musical perspectives behind the creation of the music. 

The virtuosity of cymbalom player Gianni Lincan became the connecting link between the two ensembles, and his interaction with the sound of the guitar and piano in Fra Fra Sound blends a rich and unheard musical idiom through the performance. And for the true connaisseurs - one can hear the old Tata Mirando on this recording on the alto-violin...

FINAL CHART 2009

‘On the turn of the new already old, and the old once more new...’  I have compiled a selection with a variety of releases of my work during the past year. Check out the list below, find your old favorites and discover new ones.

'To throw a lance into the future...' next year more musical encounters with gypsy legends Nello Mirando and Gianni Lincan, Fra Fra Sound, Han Bennink, Eboman and many more. And I promise a lot of new operawork as well... Stay in touch and enjoy the chart!

Nikola Inc  ... virtual impressions of a technopera in development ... 

Marius van Paassen meets Salvador  ... between Salvador's groovy dubstep and the romantic rubato of pianist Marius van Paassen an unpredictable and mysterious world unfolds …

Babak Maddah Group meets Debby Korfmacher ... traditional themes and instruments from Zimbabwe and South-Iran fuse together around a collective heartbeat groovin in 12/8ths...

Jargon meets Jalliya Ensemble ... playful strings meet the sounds of the African kora and balafon. In a flowing lullaby an ode is sung to all mothers of the world ...

Mark van Tongeren meets Amsterdams Panfluit Ensemble ... vocals and panpipes melt into a static atmosphere of pure sound, a musical space for the listener to wander and discover unknown territory ... 

Jalliya Ensemble meets Raphaela Danksagmuller  ... a tender embrace between the melancholy voice of the Armenian Duduk and the refined groove of the West-African Kora ...

Diego Nicolas meets Maghrebjazz ... a musical confrontation between two grooves - the folky Latin-American Cumbia and the North African bellydance Sharki ...

Salvador meets Rumbadama  .... a sunny, happy and funny encounter between swinging merengue and electronic beats … 

E@RPORT (3)

I released another part of E@RPORT - a series of musical encounters between the most various of musicians. This time I created a new composition for the West-African groove band of Lamin Kuyateh's Jalliya Ensemble and the playful strings of Maurice Horsthuis's Jargon. In this piece Maurice Horsthuis's theme 'Lull' fuses together with 'Kebba Jukka' - an ode to all mothers in the world sung by Lamin Kuyateh.

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#83

The first time I encountered with Jalli Lamin Kuyateh, a Gambian 'Kora' master and singer, he introduced me to this melody which is a praising song for all mothers of the world, sung in all languages Lamin knows - Wolluf, Gambian, English and Dutch. I thought it was wonderful, not even so much because of the melody itself, but mainly the very real way Lamin performed it. A strong African man singing in a most basic and simple voice about his mother, fully embodied with the spirit of her reminiscence. It was - I can't put it otherwise - very touching. Behind the rather cheerful mood of the song I wanted to open up different layers - more deep and complex feelings hidden in the melody. Lamin being far away from his homeland Gambia brought me the idea to surround the melody by an atmosphere of 'fatigue' - a lullaby before falling asleep, reminiscing a mother far away. A memory both happy and melancholic.

In a way, Maurice Horsthuis 'elastic' style of music composition and performance is quite close to the West-African approach of playing, be it in a totally different appearance. Although strongly induced by the esthetics of classical string playing, many of Maurice's compositions are performed in a groovy 3/4 or 3/12 - the basis of most West-African music. Also, the very free play with form and playful intervention of improvisations within his pieces, somehow remind me of an African spirit - its jazz, but also more elementary than jazz and more elaborate at the same time. It came for me as a pleasant surprise to learn only afterwards that Maurice had spent several years in Africa and indeed carries a great affection for this music.

I hope you enjoy this interesting encounter!

I also created a totally different version of this piece for Mark van Tongeren and the Amsterdam Panfluit Ensemble. I have stripped the piece from all rhythmic aspects and the melody is performed 'as slow as possible'. The mood of the piece also comes out in a very particular way.

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#79

E@RPORT (2)

I am happy to introduce three new pieces of music I created with vocalist Mark van Tongeren and the Amsterdams Panfluit Ensemble as part of E@RPORT - a series of musical scenes in where unusual encounters takes place between musicians of the most various backgrounds.

In this encounter vocals and panpipes melt together into a static atmosphere of sound. It illustrates in a most abstract and pure form how I compose encounter between musicians. The musicians enter a space and engage in musical conversation - their sounds resonante together in the same space, creating a new perspective on the world - sometimes harmonic and unified, sometimes distant and apprehensive. 

Mark van Tongeren sings three melodies that are performed 'as slow as possible'. Because the music is performed so slow one does not perceive the melody consciously, but instead hears in great detail the sounding atmosphere that comes to life - the resonance of a space surrounding the musicians. With every new tone the listener's perspective in this space slowly changes, as if one is wandering around discovering unknown territory while listening. 

The first part is a traditional Gypsy melody 'Me Pennam Les Lakke', the favorite of violinist Nello Mirando. I composed an atmosphere of intense sorrow for this melody to come to sound. A suspended moment of deep tension, grief and fear... 

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#77

The second part is a Zimbabwian traditional 'Mauya', introduced to me by Mbira player Debby Korfmacher. The melody evokes a colourful surrounding, an air of mystery and deliverance of an African ritual...

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#78

The third part is a song that Yalli Lamin Kuyateh composed for his mother, 'Kebba Jukka'. Him being far away from his homeland Gambia brought me the idea to surround the melody by an atmosphere of 'fatigue' - a lullaby before falling asleep, reminiscing a mother far away. A memory both happy and melancholic...

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#79

STATEMENTS AND DEBATES

On the 11th of october I opened the debate on the future of composed music during the Dutch Music Days with a statement. Starting from the idea that composers can conquer the world I refer to issues such as the necessity for intercultural music education, the importance of an immediate musical experience and the challenge for composers to unite diverse audiences.

HERE you can read my statement and HERE the course of the debate and my reactions on the debate.

On the 6th of november I opened yet another debate on the future of music theatre, organised by the Dutch Theatre Institute, the Dutch Music Centre and the Dutch Fund for Stage Arts, taking place during the YO! Opera Festival in Utrecht. I imagined the art of opera in fifteen years time from now. I believe we have stopped to view opera as an independent artform, instead the opera has materialized into many and diverse levels of society as an interdiscipline. Opera becomes an artistic model for collaboration reinforcing a diversity of artistic and musical experiences. 

You can read the statement and the course of the debate HERE 

These statements will be published in English on my website soon. I invite everyone whom it may concern to interact with me on these issues. Write me your ideas, dreams and inspirations!

TECHNOPERA (1)

I am pleased to announce the launch of www.4d-opera.com 

With this elegant virtual platform I introduce two innovations I am already working on for a few years by now - 4D SOUND and NIKOLA INC.

4D SOUND is a musical philosophy based on the ear's perception of movement. It involves the development of new technology, innovations for sound staging, techniques for composition and sound production and more. 

NIKOLA INC is a new method of wireless synchronization using 'human resonance' - it is a sensor device that can measure the resonance of electro-magnetic charge between human bodies. The frequencies of this magnetic force field can be used for transmission of information and data exchange. The past years I have been working for the Institute of Time Sciences on studies on the phenomena of resonance and how it can be utilised.

These exiting developments come together in TECHNOPERA a new opera I am working on i incorporating these new innovative media in a spectacular and musical encounter between techno and opera.

Listen to the first fragments of this opera in development @ www.4d-opera.com

So it was high time for a website where you will be able to follow the evolution of these works. Designer Boris Muller developed a 'cosmological' online platform that will change in appearance over time - in a vibrating virtual environment you can see the opera coming into being... 

I would be pleased if you share your impressions on the music, the website, the ideas... please don't hesitate to write them to me!

E@RPORT (1)

It's my favorite moment of the year - hidden in the warm and saturated summer air I sense a first trembling, a hint of decay, melancoly and thoughfulness that announced the arrival of autumn. On the treshold of nature's immanence I am glad to present two new parts of my E@RPORT cycle reflecting this change of atmosphere.

We move into a moody autumn with an atmospheric and piercing piece of music I created with Marius van Paassen and Salvador. A musical world full of depth and surprise unfolds between the groovy steps of Salvador's beats and the romantic rubato of pianist Marius van Paassen.

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#66

For those who are not ready to say goodbye to summer yet - the sunny, bouncy and funny encounter between Salvador and Rumbadama will keep you in the right mood.

Listen @ www.earportamsterdam.nl/#73

About E@RPORT...

Already in 2006 I started to create a series of musical scenes in where an unusual encounter takes place between musicians of the most various backgrounds. The musicians enter a space and engage in musical conversation - in search for a point of reference, a connection that opens up the borders between diverse and opposing cultures. Their sounds resonante together in the same space, creating a new perspective on the world - sometimes harmonic and unified, sometimes distant and apprehensive.

By now I have composed over twenty of these different musical 'scenes' hosting musicians such as Nello Mirando, Han Bennink, Marius van Paassen, Sattar Al Saadi and Haytam Safia to name only a few. E@RPORT is an opera that continues to develop - a series of veritable portraits of extraordinary musical personalities.